The Top Ten Films

Many people ask, "Why would you care about the best ten? It's just an opinion." Other people say you shouldn't compare art. For everyone else, here's my top 10 films of all time.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)

In case you didn't get the memo, Citizen Kane deserves to be the best film ever because not only is it the most influential directing, but Welles delivers a flawless performance and an even better script. I won't dwell on why this is here because people have written entire novels on why Citizen Kane is so incredible. However, here are a handful of things it started: showing the ceilings of buildings, inventing deep focus, having people talk over each other, and finally, popularized the non-linear plot.

2. Vertigo (1958)

No surprise here because Vertigo is one of the few films that makes you live it. Although you could argue that the performances, directing and script are the best part of this film, I think the best aspect of Vertigo is it's incredible score. As a musician, I not only find it brilliant, I find it to be absolutely perfect for the film it underlines. Do not let what I just said take away from the directing, the performances or the script. Hitchcock takes us into "Scottie's" world especially during the scenes in absolute silence. He slowly brings us into the obsession of Scottie and we eventually feel as if we are a friend of his watching him suffer. James Stewart is haunting and makes his performance in The Philadelphia Story seem like something Ashton Kutcher would be able to pull off. The script brings us in twisting around every corner and never letting us have a peek of whats around that corner. All of these aspects (when put together) creates an incredible film that makes the bravest people afraid of hights.

3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

I don't think anyone is surprised by this being here either, but I will still give you my 2 cents about it. 2001: A Space Odyssey truly brought film (pun intended) to the final frontier. It let filmmakers do what they want and just give it a shot. This strange film let them not be held back by the "rules of film making." Kubrick took a shot and it came out as one of the best cinematic experiences ever. From the beautiful images to the inventive script, 2001 delivers a mostly silent, never-boring, odyssey into Kubrick's mind.

4. Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Many people ask me why this film is incredible. The only answer I can say is that it is absolutely flawless and the most fun a film has ever delivered. From the now-classic music to the magnificent dance-numbers, this is a wild ride. There is absolutely nothing wrong with anything in this film. Gene Kelly directs and choreographs this as well as doing a magnificent performance as a musician gone stunt-man gone blockbuster actor. The plot-line seems like common sense now as well. Above all of these reasons I just mentioned, the most amazing thing is that you can watch this film twenty times in a row and never get bored! It is all fun, all the time, each and every time.

5. The Godfather Part I and II (1972 and 1974)

I especially like the scene in Godfather Part II where Michael is talking to his wife about Fredo. It's slow, it's natural and above all, it is nearly pitch black. Every single moment in both parts of The Godfather was incredible as far as cinematography go. But what was revolutionary about the Godfather series was that, for the first time, we are told the story of the mafia from the inside out. We never hear about what the general population thinks about the Corleone family, we don't even know if the general population know they exist! Although I said it was revolutionary, the best aspect of the Godfather is the fact that it trusts its audience's intelligence more than almost any film I have ever seen. It tells the story from the anti-hero's view and we only know what he knows. If he thinks something is implied, Al Pacino never says something is implied, we just see it in his face. This is both incredible as an acting performance and as a directing performance.

6. Amarcord (1973)

Here is where controversy is sparked. Very few people appreciate Amarcord as much as I do. What I love about Amarcord is not just Fellini's incredible, strange, brilliant and beautiful directing, but his Fellini's off-beat, ahead of its time screenplay. Amarcord is one of the few films that can draw in audience of all ages. It climaxes more effectively than any other film and builds on its caricature style characters. Overall, this film succeeds on a few levels: as a comedy, as a romance, as a coming of age drama and as a religion drama. The characters are purposely a bit over-the-top and Fellini stays close to their personalities. What's often overlooked in Amarcord are the incredible performances delivered by mostly unknown actors. The bottom line is that this is a must-see film that has, in my opinion, the best script ever written.

7. The Graduate (1967)

Here comes more controversy because a lot of people (including critic Roger Ebert) find it to be "a good topical movie whose time has passed." I clearly could not disagree more. Mike Nichols directs one of the best directorial performances in cinematic history as the incredible star power of Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, and Katharine Ross let this film flow through us. The often copied and parodied script is legendary while every single frame of this film was thought out and acted flawlessly. On the whole, it is not easy to find a single thing wrong with this film.

8. Psycho (1960)

"I'm not even gonna swat that fly..." We all know the script, some of us word for word. Psycho is a chilling film with quite possibly the best performances I've ever seen. Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh make the motel scenes the tightest, most tense scenes in any film. Each time we see it, we know what it going to happen in the end, and yet each time, we are surprised. Is this Hitchcock's directing? Is it the superb acting? Is it the script? We can never truly know, but it is effective, to say the least. My personal favorite shot in Psycho is when Norman leans over to look at the registration book and we see only the bottom of his chin. Did Hitchcock do this to make the scene awkward? Did he do it show that Norman is controlling all the characters who are present? Is Hitchcock trying to tell us that we are getting to know every aspect of him? I personally like to feel that Hitchcock had all of these in mind when filming, and it somehow managed to come out beautiful; even in black and white.

9. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Bear with me. You are probably thinking that A Clockwork Orange is just a stupid little thriller that no one really cares about. I usually like to think that everyone is entitled to an opinion and no opinion can be wrong, but in this case, if you cannot see into the symbolism, you are wrong in calling it stupid. I'll tell you a few things you probably didn't know about A Clockwork Orange. First, the title comes from the author Burgess's trip to Malaysia. The Cockney saying goes, "as queer as a clockwork orange." This can be taken for face value, or, if you look into it, you will be told that orang (in Malay) means human. Burgess thought this would be a perfect pun to say that Alex is strange and has become clockwork. Second, think about every little detail. Think about why it is milk he drinks. It is obviously to symbolize his youth. If you didn't notice this when you watched it, see it again and look for the details.

10. Pulp Fiction (1994)

This is when most people call me crazy. Pulp Fiction is personally my number one favorite film. I don't enjoy any other film as much as this. You could say that I let my emotions take over, but I can truly say that there is no better gangster/comedy/religious drama/romantic comedy/dehumanization/growing old film ever created. After you see this for the first time, you're thinking, "what the hell?" You see it a second time and you say, "wow that was really funny." You see it a third time and say, "Whoa..." That is the best way to describe Pulp Fiction. Above all, the mise en scéne of this film is pure genius. One example is when they take Uma Therman to the drug dealer's house to revive her and off to the side of the screen are two boardgames; Operation, and The Game of Life. That's all I'm gonna say about it...